Washington should obey the rules in foreign relations

It’s hard to imagine that in today’s civilized world, which is predominantly led by the United States and its close allies, the US and its allies continue to make baseless statements slandering countries or regions which do not “toe the line”, or which they are keen to outcompete economically or disdain politically.

Just two days ago, Canada unveiled its so-called Indo-Pacific strategy which will beef up its military outlays to nearly C$2.3 billion ($1.69 billion) over the next five years to boost its naval presence in the Asia-Pacific region. Along with this increased military spending, the intimate partner of the US will also look for tighter ties with regional allies in the East and South China Seas. To forge a farfetched excuse for the camouflaged political maneuver, the official document hammered away at the idea of a “China threat” to the world at large by portraying China as an “increasingly disruptive global power” which must be countered, citing the “multiple military, security and economic threats it poses”. Ironically, the Canadian strategy has acknowledged the need to work with China on impending issues of trade, climate change and nuclear proliferation. All these unwarranted accusations and attacks against China were fabricated in total disregard of the fact that the country itself is always “a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of international order”.

In the true light of such realities that are globally apprehended, is it not fair to ask where the political leaders of these advanced countries were hiding themselves when China was playing respective roles in being a key participant in United Nations peace-keeping forces, in making recognized financial contributions to the World Health Organization, in mitigating the humanitarian crises in Afghanistan triggered by the abrupt evacuation of US military forces, as well as in donating 2 billion vaccine doses to developing countries amid loud and clear public outcries against the excessive hoarding of COVID-19 vaccines by developed Western countries! What is the purpose of planning to engage with China over specific issues if the latter is described by Canada as such a formidable country? This defamation seems to run counter to the many cordial meetings that President Xi Jinping had with political leaders from different nations on the sidelines of the G20 summit last month in Indonesia. 

In a coincidental or orchestrated way, China has been framed by Britain, another close ally of the US, as a “systemic challenge” and the “single biggest state threat” to the United Kingdom’s economic security. Sharing the main tone of the Canadian strategy, the new UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has gone to the extent of discarding in his first foreign policy address the “golden era for Sino-British relations”, an expression used by then-British prime minister David Cameron to describe the excellent commercial ties between the two countries after the State visit to the UK by President Xi in October 2015. Without exploring the true circumstances under which a BBC journalist was taken away by police from the scene of a COVID-driven protest in Shanghai, Sunak already shouted openly that the incident was “shocking and unacceptable”. Such a one-sided account of the event was presented in total dismissal of the official explanation given by China’s foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian that the journalist in question had not identified himself as a reporter in accordance with the relevant protocol laid down by the Chinese government.  

This is not the first time the US has cooked up “reports” attacking China and the HKSAR with inaccurate portrayals. As a superpower, the US should take the lead to set a level playing field where differences and competition among nations can be managed. It must shun all attempts to hit below the belt in contesting for dominion over countries outside its camp

Such a groundless, hawkish foreign policy toward China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is always seen to have come from the leader of the Western camp — the US. Two weeks ago, a political storm in disguise was contrived by the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission, which issued a “report” making excuses deviating markedly from the facts of the HKSAR’s governance to maliciously slander the National Security Law for Hong Kong (NSL); its comments attacking the city’s rule of law and the authorities’ efforts in defending national security are all biased and unsubstantiated. The bipartisan “report” wildly postulated that the city’s government was heading for a legal system that increasingly mimicked that of the Chinese mainland, thereby “threatening” prospects for journalists and civil community, as well as foreign businesses and expatriates in Hong Kong. 

In a rebuke, the HKSAR government said it “vehemently refutes” this “report”, condemning its comments as “slanderous and ill-intentioned”. It emphasized that all operational actions taken by law enforcement agencies are based on evidence and in strict accordance with the law. And the enforcement of the territory’s governance under the rule of law rests solidly on the firm grounds of an independent Judiciary, which provides safeguards for the fundamental rights and freedoms enjoyed by the Hong Kong people. This is a system of vital checks and balances between the administrative and judicial branches of government. 

The HKSAR government went on to defend changes to its electoral system introduced last year to ensure that Hong Kong is governed by patriots. This electoral reform package was indeed imperative to plug the dangerous holes in the old election system that had allowed the city to edge towards a state of anarchy, with seditious political forces colluding to undermine effective functioning of local electoral mechanisms. With the modified electoral system effectively in place, the latest Legislative Council and chief executive elections have become open, fair and honest, signifying broad representation and political inclusiveness.

This is not the first time the US has cooked up “reports” attacking China and the HKSAR with inaccurate portrayals. As a superpower, the US should take the lead to set a level playing field where differences and competition among nations can be managed. It must shun all attempts to hit below the belt in contesting for dominion over countries outside its camp.

The author is a member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.